House built in 1971 - Do these ducts look like they contain asbestos ?

[Bob Elliott]

I just had one I am not sure about and will post a picture in the morning.
The home built in 1951 but on opening the return vent in the floor (basement below)(new dry walled ceiling)I saw the interior lined with a material that had that white sort of bandage look.
Anyway they would line the inside of a return with the stuff ?(single family )

[Joseph Hagarty, CMI]

Not sure about your area,
but encapsulation was a readily identified and accepted means of remediation.
(maybe what you are seeing)
defer to an IH for further evaluation based upon findings and move on to your next Inspection.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

Without a doubt, those are asbestos wrapped ducts. I see them almost every day. There several ways to "report" on them (depending on their condition), but at a minimum, you need to let them know the exist.

[Bob Elliott]

OK here is what I saw last night so do any of you think this could be asbestos even though not inside a slab.(1951)
It had a compressed cotton ball type feel sort of like felt and was white inside that pattern you see.

Need to decide if I should report suspicion .[ATTACH][/ATTACH]

[Robert J. OConnor]

Might be a wrap that contains asbestos ... doesn't look like transite though.

[Marcel R. Cyr]

Interesting link.

http://reviews.ebay.com/Asbestos-Pip...00000000879095

[David A. Andersen]

3. Limitations, Exceptions & Exclusions

3.1. Limitations:

An inspection is not technically exhaustive.
An inspection will not identify concealed or latent defects.
An inspection will not deal with aesthetic concerns or what could be deemed matters of taste, cosmetic defects, etc.
An inspection will not determine the suitability of the property for any use.
An inspection does not determine the market value of the property or its marketability.
An inspection does not determine the insurability of the property.
An inspection does not determine the advisability or inadvisability of the purchase of the inspected property.
An inspection does not determine the life expectancy of the property or any components or systems therein.
An inspection does not include items not permanently installed.
These Standards of Practice apply only to homes with four or fewer dwelling units.
3.2. Exclusions:

I. The inspector is not required to determine:

property boundary lines or encroachments.
the condition of any component or system that is not readily accessible.
the service life expectancy of any component or system.
the size, capacity, BTU, performance or efficiency of any component or system.
the cause or reason of any condition.
the cause for the need of repair or replacement of any system or component.
future conditions.
compliance with codes or regulations.
the presence of evidence of rodents, animals or insects.
the presence of mold, mildew, fungus or toxic drywall.
the presence of airborne hazards.
the presence of birds.
the presence of other flora or fauna.
the air quality.
the existence of asbestos.
the existence of environmental hazards.
the existence of electromagnetic fields.
the presence of hazardous materials including, but not limited to, the presence of lead in paint.
any hazardous waste conditions.
any manufacturers' recalls or conformance with manufacturer installation, or any information included for consumer protection purposes.
operating costs of systems.
replacement or repair cost estimates.
the acoustical properties of any systems.
estimates of the cost to operate any given system.

I guess it's time to start posting the SOP all over the place again.

I'm not going to point out the pertinent for verbiage for this particular issue, maybe reading the whole thing again will reside in our short-term memory a little longer.

Whenever you guys get these questions, how about looking at the standards of practice and the code of ethics and ponder the situation and try to understand what standards are trying to do.

As far as asbestos goes it is specifically addressed. It is also a part of many state laws that you are forbidden to even discuss it because you're not qualified in the first place.

If you recommend testing and it turns out that it is not, as far as I'm concerned the home inspector can pay for the service. Why? You don't know what it is, you can't be expected to know what it is, you're not supposed to be talking about it and you were wrong!

If you think that it looks like asbestos, report that you think it looks like asbestos, you are not allowed or qualified to assess any further. There is no test that you're qualified to perform to determine the answer. The buyer then gets to decide whether or not they want testing, if they want removed, or they don't want to buy the house!

Again, if we go back to the standards of practice, the cause for the need of repair or replacement of any system or component is not required.

The answers are all there, you just have to read them.